“Human rights defenders are a kind of immunity. Just as there is immunity in the body to protect us from disease, so human rights defenders are needed in every country so that society does not fall ill from dictatorship, repression or hatred of some people who differ from the majorityˮ. With this statement, Evghenii Goloșceapov answers simply and understandably why we need human rights defenders.

In April, the Legal Resources Centre from Moldova (LRCM) published 3 short videos to explain to society who human rights defenders are and what they do, what motivates them to fight for fundamental human rights and freedoms and why their work is important. Alina Radu, Evghenii Goloșceapov and Tatiana Corcebaș-Onica are the protagonists of these short films and their personal experience as human rights defenders in the Republic of Moldova has brought more clarity regarding this term.

The videos promoting the experiences shared by Alina Radu, Evghenii Goloșceapov and Tatiana Corcebaș-Onica were created within the project “Shields for Human Rights Defenders – Supporting Human Rights Defenders in the Republic of Moldovaˮ, implemented by the LRCM in partnership with EcoContact Association and the International Commission of Jurists, with the financial support of the European Union.

The key message and voice of human rights defenders reached around 70,000 people online, which helped to open discussions about the challenges faced by all those who believe and promote human rights in a peaceful way. At the same time, by bringing this topic to the public’s attention, it also raised awareness that defending human rights is not something abstract, but refers to initiatives and actions whereby some people demand respect and defence of fundamental rights on behalf of all citizens.

The LRCM team also created a special webpage dedicated to human rights defenders (HRDs), which provides information on their role and activities, as well as an infographic on the most common risks faced by HRDs and/or their families.